Report a suspected fraud

Most people are honest and are entitled to the benefit assistance they receive. However, we're aware that for a small group of people this isn't always the case.

What you need to do

Information

If you are concerned that someone you know may be committing benefit or wage subsidy fraud you can call 0800 556 006

Someone will take your call between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday, with the exception of Wednesdays when our call operating hours are 9.30am - 5.00pm. You can leave a message after hours.

You can also:

You can remain anonymous and we'll do everything we can to protect your privacy.

Give us as much information as you can

The more information that you can give us the easier it is for us to work out a person's correct benefit entitlement.

Here are some of the things we may want to know which will help us investigate your report.

Information that helps us when we investigate your report

What we'll do next

We'll have a look at the information you give us to assess:

  • the nature of the information
  • how serious the allegation is, and
  • how long it's alleged the client has been committing fraud.

Then we will either:

  • send a letter or call the client. We'll tell them about the information we've received and give them an opportunity to talk to us about it. We'll focus on getting their entitlement correct and making sure they know what their obligations are.
  • meet with the client. We'll discuss the information we've received and talk about their situation, entitlements and obligations. We'll focus on getting their entitlement correct and making sure they know what their obligations are.
  • complete an investigation. We'll check if the client is getting the right entitlements from us. This may include collecting information from other agencies or having a formal interview with the client.

Unfortunately due to privacy constraints we cannot tell you any details about what we do, or the outcome, without that person's consent.

Outcomes

There are a number of things that could happen after a conversation or investigation.

The client could:

  • get an overpayment or debt
  • lose their entitlement to benefit
  • get a warning
  • be prosecuted
  • get a financial penalty.